1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer user interfaces. More specifically, the present invention relates to generating a user interface using database tables to store the data and actions available to the user.
2. Description of the Related Art
A computer user interface allows a user to send commands to a computer, and to receive the resulting responses from the computer. In the case of client-server computer systems, an interface application on a client computer allows a user to interact with a remote server. The interface application usually consists of one or more screen displays that the user can select and interact with, and where each screen display has a particular focus or purpose.
Typically, the underlying computer code used to generate an interface is written to implement one screen at a time. This is because each screen will usually have different elements and functions from other screens, thus requiring the code to be individualized for each screen. However, this traditional approach can cause problems. If the application requires a large number of screens, a large amount of code will have to be written. If the application is later changed, the coding of any affected screens has to be individually changed and debugged. In some cases, a change to one screen will require changes in many linked screens, leading to an escalation of the work required. This process can be time-consuming and error-prone. Further, if the client application is not based on a web browser, the software may have to be updated on every client computer. If there are a large number of client computers, this process can be expensive and time-consuming.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of generating user interfaces that does not require writing and changing the code for each screen separately, and that does not require the updating of software on every client computer.